Sucker-rod rotor



Aug. 21, 1928. 1',68l,789

S. B. SARGENT sucxmz non moron Filed March 19, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1[Amen 2w:

Saw/2:7 5. 4 ?4'5 5. B SARGEN'T' SUCKER ROD ROTOR 2 ShetS-Sheet 2 Aug.21, 1928.

' Filed March 19, 1924 F i L;

. Ti Q AWE 7 50/VMEW. 5. 5 4545? Patented Aug. 21, 1928.

UNITED STATES TENT O F E.

SUMNER B. SARGENT, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO SARGENT ENGI-NEZERING CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

v ene v. ROTOR Application filed March s, 1924.v Serial in. 700,435.

My invention relates to the art of pumping oil wells. In this art, it iscommon practice to provide a pump,the barrel of which is suspended onsuitable tubing inside an oil well, a plunger being provided inside thisbarrel, the plunger being reciprocated through a string of sucker rods,which extend upwardly through the tubing to the surface of the ground.The sucker rods are commonly actuated from a walking beam. The uppersucker rod is commonly called a polish rod, due to the fact that it isusually machined and highly polished so that it can pass through asuitable stufling box in oiltight relationship therewith.

It has been found highly desirable to provide for a continuous rotationof the pump plunger inside the barrel for the purpose of providing aneven wear thereon and preventing a scoring of the barrel or plunger invertical grooves due to the presence of foreign matter between theplunger and the barrel. 'Where the rods are not rotated, which is commonpractice, a particle of grit between the plunger and the barrel tends tocut a vertical groove due to the fact that the plunger moves verticallyin the barrel in the same path. By providing a slow and continuousrotation, it'is possible to distribute the cutting action of anyparticles over the entire surface of the barrel and plunger, thustending to keep the barrel and plunger thoroughly cylindrical andgreatly prolonging their life It is a purposeof my invention to providea convenient form of rotator which may be applied to the polish rod forthe purpose of slowly turning it as the polish rod is reciprocated bythe walking beam.

It is not an especially diff cult matter to provide apparatus which willefiiciently pump oil wells producing clean oil, but it is extremelydifiicult to provide a pump wh1ch will operate for long periods withoutattention on the average well, which contains 0nsiderable sand or otherforeign matter. In some cases, oil wells produce sufiicient sand tocompletely stop the operation of the pump, this condition being commonlycalled sanding up and occurring with distressing frequency in many oilfields. It is a further object of my invention to provide a structurewhich will not be injured in the event that the well to which it isattached, sands up to such a degree that it is impossible to eitherrotate or reciprocate the plunger.

The string of sucker rods in many wells is often 3,000 or 4,000 feet inlength and approximately three-fourths inch in diameter. Such a longstring of steel rods has consider able elasticity, and where the pumpplunger does not turn readily in the barrel, it is possible to turn thesucker rods at the surface of the well through a considerable angle without turning the plunger in the barrel, due to this natural elasticity ofthe rods. It is a further object of my invention to provide means bywhich the sucker rods are turned at the surface of the ground through asmall angle after each stroke of the pump in combination with means forpreventing the sucker rods from turning in a reverse direction. Thismakes it possible to gradually increase the torsion on the end of thestring of rods to such a degree that the plunger is turned in thebarrel. I l

It is necessary, however, that the torsion exerted on the rodsshall notapproach the torsional strength of these rods, and it is a furtherobject of my invention to provide means whereby this gradual twistingaction on the upper end of the rods shall not exceed a safe amount.

I. am aware that it has been proposed to apply devices to sucker rodsfor rotating same, but these previous devices have been actuatedwhollyhy the movement of the walking beam, the difference in angle ofthe walking beam at difi'erent parts of the stroke being depended uponto produce the twisting action. It is a further object of my inven! tionto provide means for-actuating the rotator from some fixed point of thederrick or associated structure of the oil well to which the device isapplied.

Further objects and advantages will be made evident hereinafter,

Referring to the drawing which is for illustrative purpe e ly,

Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic side elevation showing my inventionapplied to an oil well.

Fig.2 is an isometric View showing. the rotating mechanism.

Fig 3 is a section through the rotating mechanism; and i Fig, 4 is aplan View showing the arrange- 7 ment of the working pawls and ratchetwheel.

In the form of the invention illustrated, 11 is the polish rod whichextends downwardly through a stuffing box 12, being connected throughsuitable pump rods, not shown, to the plunger of the oil well pump, notshown. The polish rod 11 may be conveniently reciprocated by means of astandard walking beam 13. Rigidly secured to the pump rod 11 by means ofa set screw 14 is a clamp 15. known in the art may be substituted forthe clamp 15, such, for example, as clamps which are frictionallysecured by two or more bolts. The clamp 15 is provided with a hexagonportion 16 which fits between two projecting lugs 17 carried on aratchet wheel 20. The wheel 20 is free to rotate with the polish rod 11,being supported on a friction reducin Jlate' 21 carried on a supporting'l' 25. The T 25 has arms extending laterally and is provided with pins26, to which suspending means such as reins 27 are secured. The reins 27extend upwardly and engage the walking beam 13 so that the member 25 israised and lowered by and in synchronism with the movement of thewalking beam. Fitting upon and turning freely on the ratchet wheel 20.are pawl plates 31 and 32, these plates being heir apart by thimbles 33and held together by bolts 34, passing through the th'imbles 33,

there being three bolts 34 spaced an equal distance apart around thecircumference of the plates 31 and 32. Turning freely on a pin 41between the plates 31 and 32 is a working pawl 40, this pawl being heldin engagement with the ratchet teeth 44 on the ratchet wheel 20 by meansof a coil spring 45. Mounted on one of the pins '26 is a member 50, thismember being provided with arms 51 engaging one of the reins 27 andcarrying a pin 52,0n which a holding pawl 53 is mounted. The holdingpawl 53 is held in engagement with the ratchet teeth 44 by means of aspring 54. Secured to two of the bolts 34 are flexible members and 61,these flexible member in practice being flexible wire ropes or chainswhich extend back laterally and are secured at 62 and 63, preferably tothe headache post 64 of the oil well. The headache post, is however,

merely a convenient point of attachment for the members 60 and (S1 andthey may be attached to the Samson post or other fixed portions of thederrick or a special membermay be erected for this purpose. The

. wire ropes 60 and 61 are attached approximately as shown in Fig. 1.

The method of operation of the invention is as follows:

The clamp 15 is secured to the polish rod both against vertical movementthereon and against rotation on the pump rod by means of the set screw14 or by any other conven- Other forms'of clamp well ient means. Thehexagon portion 16 of the clamp 15 then rests on the ratchet wheel 20inside the projections 17, the total weight of the string of sucker rodsbeing supported in this manner. The ratchet wheel 20 rests upon thefriction reducing plate 21, which in turn rests upon a projection on themember 25. The member 25 is supported by means of the reins 27 from theend of the walking beam 13 which moves up and down, being actuated bythe usual driving means, not shown. Themethod of attachment of the wireropes 60 and 61 is such that on the up stroke of the polish rod 11, theline 61 is tightened, as-shown in full lines in Fig. 1; and the line 60is slack as shown in that figure. Onthis portion of the stroke, theplates 31 and 32 are, therefore, pulled in a clockwise direction, aviewed in Fig. 2, the pawl 40 engaging the teeth of the ratchet wheel 20and turning the ratchet prevented from turning in a counter clockwisedirection by the holding pawl 53 which engages the teeth44 and preventsany backward motion of the ratchet wheel. It is thus evident that oneach up stroke of the pump, the polish rod is turned in a clockwisedirection through a small angle. It is also evident that when the polishrod moves in the opposite direction, any tendency for it to turn in acounterclockwise direction is resisted by the holding pawl 53. The upperend of the rods are, therefore, gradually put in torsion. To preventthis torsion from being increased to a degree sufficientto twist in therod T insert in the wire members 60 and 61, tension springs 65 and 66.Before the torsion of the rods has been increased to a dangerous degree,further increase is prevented by the springs 65 and 66, which are ofsuch proportions that they will become elongated before the torsion ofthe rods is dangerously increased. In this event, there is no turning orincreasing in torsion of the rods, the springs 65 and 66 merelystretching on the up and down strokes of the pump.

' I claim as my invention: V

1 In a rod rotator for oil wells, the combination of: a polish rod;means comprising a clamp resting on a plate which is pivotally suspendedbelow a walking beam for vertically reciprocating said polish rod;

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horizontal actuating means for rotating said rod about a vertical axis;and externally extending means angularly movable in vertical planes andsecured at difi'erent levels to a fixed member supporting said walkingbeam for actuating said actuating means.

2. In a rod rotator for oil wells, the combination of: a polish rod;means comprising a clamp resting on a plate which is pivotally suspendedbelow a walking beam for vertically reciprocating said polish rod; anactuating means rotating about the vertical axis of said polish rod;means by which said actuating means rotates said polish rod; ahorizontal member oscillating about the vertical axis of said polishrod; means by which said member actuates said actuating means; astationary member and laterally extending tension members whose ends areattached to said stationary member and to said oscillating member foroscillating said oscillating member in a manner providing angularmovement in substantially vertical planes as it moves up and down withsaid polish rod.

3. In a rod rotator for oil Wells, the combination of: a polish rod;means comprising a clamp resting on a plate which is pivotally suspendedbelow a walking beam for vertically reciprocating said polish rod;horizontal actuating means comprising a ratchet wheel, rotating aboutthe vertical axis of said polish rod; means by which said actuatingmeans rotates said polish rod; a member oscillating about the verticalaxis of said polish rod; means by which said member actuates saidactuating means; a stationary member fixed with relation to said polishrod and said means for vertically reciprocating said polish rod; andlaterally extending means comprising flexible members attached atdifierent levels to said stationary member and to said oscillatingmember for oscillating said oscillating member as it moves up and downwith said polish rod.

4. In a rod rotator for oil wells, the combination of a polish rod;means comprising a clamp resting on a plate which is pivotally suspendedbelow a walking beam for vertically reciprocating said polish rod;horizontal actuating means comprising a ratchet wheel, rotating aboutthe vertical axis or" said polish rod; a clamp fixed on said polish rodand engaged by said ratchet wheel; a member oscillating about thevertical axis of said polish rod; means by which said member actuatessaid actuating means; a stationary member fixed with relation to saidpolishrod and said means for vertically reciprocating said polish rod;and laterally extending means comprising flexible elements containingtension springs attached to said stationary member and to saidoscillating member for oscillating said oscillating member as it movesup and down with said polish rod.

5. In a rod rotator for oil wells, the combination of: a polish rod;means comprising a clamp resting on a plate which is pivotally suspendedbelow a walking beam for vertically reciprocating said polish rod;horizontal actuating means comprising a ratchet wheel, rotating aboutthe vertical axis of said polish rod; a clamp fixed on said polish rodand engaged by said ratchet wheel; a

iember oscillating about the vertical axis of saidpolish rod; a pawlcarried on said oscillating member and engaging said ratchet wheel; astationary member fixed with r lation to said polish rod and said meansfor vertically reciprocating said polish rod;

and laterally extending means comprising flexible elements containingtension springs attached to said stationary member at different levelsand to said oscillating member, for oscillating said oscillating memberas it moves up and down with said polish rod.

6. In a rod rotator for oil wells, the combination of: a polish rod;means comprising a clamp resting on a plate which is pivotally suspendedbelow a walking beam for vertically reciprocating said polish rod; aratchet wheel perpendicular to the axis of said polish rod; means forsecuring said ratchet wheel against rotation with relation to saidpolish rod; ratchet means for rotating said ratchet wheel and itsconnected polish rod in one direction; and means for preventing movementof said polish rod in the opposite direction, said rotating meanscomprising flexible members which extend laterally to a stationary post.

7 In a rod rotator for oil we1ls,the combination of: a polish rod; meanscomprising a clamp resting on a plate which is pivotally suspended belowa walking beam for vertically reciprocating said polish rod; a ratchetwheel disposed perpendicularly to the axis of said polish rod; means forsecuring said ratchet wheel against rotation with relation to saidpolish rod; a rotating member; means for rotating said member as saidpolish rod is reciprocated; a driving pawl carried on said oscillatingmember and engaging said ratchet wheel to turn said ratchet wheel andsaid polish rod in a positive direction; and means for preventing themovement of the polish rod in a negative direction,said rotating meanscomprising flexible members which extend laterally to a stationary post.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles,California, this 12th day of March, 1924.

SUMNER B. SARGEN'I.

